Juventus striker Alessandro del Piero has been getting all philosophical ahead of Italy's opening World Cup tie with Ghana.
Del Piero is now looking for inspiration, saying: "I've been thinking about when I started to play football and how I played and in what spirit I did.
"Then I thought about the player I have become, the man I have become.
"Those are two fundamental parts of me, what I was and what I have become. I need to bring those two parts together at this World Cup.
"I went up to the hills to evaluate things like Achilles (hero of the Trojan War) did and like him I wanted to concentrate a little more.
"The important thing is how you carry out war and not how many wars you fight.
"For me the best thing is knowing what you are able to do and then to prove it to others. But you don't reveal your plan of attack.
"We Italians live on emotion and tension and pressure. We will go into these games and play with heart and that gives me great confidence.
"The Ghana match is the most difficult and the most important for us. We have to go out there, give a good show and above all win."
Del Piero is now looking for inspiration, saying: "I've been thinking about when I started to play football and how I played and in what spirit I did.
"Then I thought about the player I have become, the man I have become.
"Those are two fundamental parts of me, what I was and what I have become. I need to bring those two parts together at this World Cup.
"I went up to the hills to evaluate things like Achilles (hero of the Trojan War) did and like him I wanted to concentrate a little more.
"The important thing is how you carry out war and not how many wars you fight.
"For me the best thing is knowing what you are able to do and then to prove it to others. But you don't reveal your plan of attack.
"We Italians live on emotion and tension and pressure. We will go into these games and play with heart and that gives me great confidence.
"The Ghana match is the most difficult and the most important for us. We have to go out there, give a good show and above all win."
